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Software and Gadgets for Seniors
Last December, my mother, Jean Brandenburg, died peacefully at home just days after her 85th birthday. In her last years, she suffered a whittling away of balance, endurance, and especially frustrating for her, sight.
Jean loved to read. For 60 years, she read nothing but mystery stories. When she turned 80, she made a sudden switch to romance novels. Her favorites featured brawny gentlemen imposing themselves on feisty Regency heroines, preferably in the grass. (This made me feel like the deli customer in the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally. "I'M have what she's having.")
As her sight diminished, she used low-tech solutions to fulfill her reading passion: at first, light and a magnifier, and later, audio books. She had little patience for high-tech help, even tossing her cellphone in the trash because she never used it.
In contrast, her sister-in-law, Aunt Bert, aged 88, embraces technology to keep in touch with her children and grandchildren. "I just bought a Wow! computer. Will you come over to help me set it up?" she asked recently.
The Wow! computer turned out to be an all-in-one touchscreen with a locked desktop that only allows specific functions: Touch this button for email, this for video chat through the built-in camera, and that one for news. I linked her fresh Gmail account to the email button and set her up on Skype for video chat.
Wow! computer for Seniors
www.mywowcomputer.com
FirstStreet markets this 20" touchscreen designed to get seniors online and to keep them out of trouble. The locked desktop and Linux operating system prevent users from accidentally downloading programs and viruses. The touchscreen is handy for users who lack the dexterity to type or use a mouse. The $1,000 price tag and lack of productivity software means that this is not the machine for everyone. Still, it may be just the thing for newbies who just want a computer to keep in touch with the modern world.
Telikin
www.telikin.com
It turns out that the Wow! computer is really a rebranded Telikin produced by Venture 3 Systems in Chalfont, Pa. This company imports all-in-one PCs and then loads them up with the Linux operating system and its proprietary software. Venture 3 provides patient,...